Sara Gregory,
The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot
Nothing has ever ravaged classrooms worse than the COVID-19 virus, but the most impassioned discourse in American education right now has nothing to do with the pandemic.
Instead, as the leader of Hampton Roadsâ largest school district put it, a panic over lessons on so-called âcritical race theoryâ is dominating the publicâs attention.
âAll this noise is starting to drown out the âwhyâ of our work as educators,â Virginia Beach Superintendent Aaron Spence wrote in a Virginian-Pilot column last weekend. âThe boil over this needs to be brought down to a simmer.â
As battles flare across Virginia, including in Bedford, Botetourt and Franklin counties in the Roanoke region, here are some answers about what critical race theory is â and whatâs behind the political war that has engulfed the nationâs schools.
FINCASTLE â School employees go to work to educate children, not necessarily to save their lives. But theyâre trained for rescue situations, too.
That training came into play at Troutville Elementary School on Jan. 25, when a pre-K student began to choke on a hot dog. The 5-year-old was unconscious for about three minutes, as at least three members of the school staff attempted the Heimlich maneuver, her principal said Thursday. It didnât work.
Finally, with a finger-sweep maneuver in the childâs throat, Principal Steven Anderson dislodged it.
âIt was one of the most beautiful sounds ever, when that airway was cleared and that first breath was taken,â Anderson said. âIt was incredible.â